Many vehicles today have systems that utilize automatic braking commands. Certain examples of system systems include adaptive cruise control, electric park braking, and vehicle hill hold, among others. By way of an illustrative example, adaptive cruise control (ACC) systems detect vehicles in front of the host vehicle and maintain an appropriate safety distance between the vehicles. Certain vehicles include a version of ACC in the form of a full speed range adaptive cruise control system (FSRACC). While a standard ACC system would typically only function with vehicle speeds greater than approximately twenty miles per hour (20 mph), FSRACC systems typically operate at any vehicle speed, include those less than or equal to twenty miles per hour (20 mph).
For certain vehicle functions (such as an automatic stop/start feature for a vehicle's engine), a position of the brake pedal is a trigger. For example, an automatic engine stop/start feature (such as that mentioned above) typically uses a driver's engagement of the brake pedal as a trigger in stopping the engine or battery, and typically uses a driver's release of the brake pedal as a trigger in re-starting the engine or battery. However, during an automatic braking event (such as during FSRACC operation), a driver may not be actively engaging or releasing the brake pedal, and/or such engagement or release of the brake pedal may not serve as an accurate measure of braking or intended braking.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved alternatives for values of a driver's engagement or release of a brake pedal of a vehicle, for example during automatic braking via an FSRACC system and/or other systems. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will be apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.